crystal525

My nurse practitioner said we absolutely CAN get dumping. I get it. Mine is associated with too much fat. For the first several months whenever I ate dinner outside of my house I immediately had to lay down...chills, rapid heartbeat, bathroom visits frequently. It's subsided a little now, but I'm a lot more careful of what/how much I eat while away from home. Some docs say this does not happen outside of the bypass, but there's no other name for this.

I had my band out in April 2012 and was sleeved in January 2103. My surgeon would not do it all in one surgery because of the increased risk of a leak (the risk was NOT 20%...I don't think I would have ever done it if I had a 20% chance of getting a leak...). I have had no complications and am very happy with my decision. Do your homework. Good luck.

It's definitely life-changing! I can eat fine now, but I got used to alot of things having had the band first. But...I still struggle with head hunger. Some things you won't learn by anyone else telling you. Research and then research some more. I'm very happy most days, but I won't lie some days you just want to eat... But at 5 months out I can eat most things just in very limited portions. I am down 40 pounds and happy with it so far because I put very little effort into it. When I go to the gym, the weight comes off faster. I need to start doing squats to lift up the rear, but I'm happy with how my body is bouncing back for the most part (after all I am 40!).

Mine started about 6 weeks ago. I was sleeved on January 14. I just finally had to get it cut off. The hair balls in my brush daily were depressing me. Now that it's short, it's nowhere near shedding like it was...my profile pic is before...here is me now...

So my biggest question is if you really feel full. Only people with the band previously will know what I mean by that. I don't want just the "new full" which basically to me meant you just get different levels of uncomfortable-ness... I want to know if your STOMACH actually feels full with the sleeve...??? Thanks!

I was scared too. Had a horrible time and basically only lost because of my throwing up with the band. Eventually my pouch dilated and I gained nearly every pound (80+) back. I haven't lost as quickly as I would have like too (but then again I only lost 30 pounds the first year with my band and I'm already down 36 pounds after 3.5 months), but my experience has been so much more satisfying with the sleeve. I get hungry every few hours, but I am satiated after a few bites of whatever I am eating. I do appear to get dumping-like symptoms after high fat meals, but usually only when I eat out. You can find my story under my posts. I had the band for 3.5 years. I used to say I would still get it because of the weight loss...but after the removal and regain I have changed my mind. So far (knock wood) this has been a great decision for me. Best of luck!

Mine was 5 hours! But I was a previous band patient with lots of scar tissue to be cleaned up and had a hernia to repair! Surgery at 730am. Out a little after noon. In recovery until about 5pm (don't remember exactly...). Home after 2 nights in hospital. Could have went home after 1 night but aside from being so far from the hospital (nearly 70 miles) I hadn't had a bowel movement....lol. Was thankful for the extra day of rest because that one extra night was a huge difference in a reduction in the amount of pain I had right after surgery.

I just want to update my story. I'm almost 7 weeks out and am doing well. I've not had any buyer's remorse (which I'm shocked at...could be that I was prepared by having had a band for 4 years???). I've not really had any problems getting liquids/foods down. Now getting my Protein in is a challenge. I just bought more shakes a few days ago and until then have avoided all Protein Shakes since my 3 week liquid diet. Just the smell of them were making me sick! But they are going down very easy now. I have been in basically a stall (except for may 4-5 pounds) for the last 3 weeks, but I do know that it is my fault for not getting the protein/calories that I need. Beginning with this past Monday I've been trying to eat every two hours even if it's just a few bites of greek yogurt, a stick of cheese or a slice of deli meat. I have been out to eat several times and nearly EVERY time I have symptoms of what I can only describe as dumping...now I thought being a sleever we wouldn't have dumping syndrome but I can attest that each time after eating out I feel sweaty, nauseous and nearly ready to pass out. Sometimes it passes after a few moments, other times I have to keep it together until I can get out of there. I just told my hubby last night we're going to have to stop going out. And all I'm doing is eating a few bites off of an appetizer and a few bites of whatever he has. Now after researching here, it seems like more people are in fact getting these same symptoms. Mine seems to be related to fat as opposed to sugars though. But the good news is that I'm down nearly 30 pounds in 6.5 weeks--most were lost during the first 3 weeks though (I will know an exact amount at my follow-up appointment on Monday). I feel good and I'm hoping to fit into my summer clothes for my Las Vegas trip in a couple weeks....I had outgrown EVERYTHING summer that I had. I've started running/walking a few times a week and hope that as the weather gets nicer I can add in another walk during my lunch hour at work rather than sitting and eating at my desk everyday. I work in Washington, DC so I have no problem finding new routes everyday. I'll try to post here at least once a month to keep others updated and especially for other band to sleevers looking to read about other's progress. My full band to sleeve story: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/34812-band-to-sleeve/ Here is a comparison pic of before and after...the before pic is really bad so....

I'm very proud of you. Sometimes we all have to realize that WLS is not brain surgery and there isn't a switch that turns the emotional side off in us. My weight was stalled but I knew my problem was that I hadn't had a protein shake since my first 3 weeks and I hadn't been eating enough. Sometimes we know what to do but it just takes time for our head to catch up. We'll all get there eventually...kudos to you for having the courage to tell us all what you ate, for being accountable...ALOT more people do but never admit to it, and especially not here. Good luck and keep us posted on your journey! Crystal

Just added you! I'm crystal52573.

Yes...lots of things make me nauseous now. It sometimes passes quickly, other times I have to go lay down. I always make sure to eat very light when I'm not at home. For me, I think I've narrowed it down to eating too much fat...which brings me to the fact that we are not supposed to get dumping syndrome... It is not pleasant at all.

I was 229 at my 3 week checkup (down 21 pounds) and I'm still not out of the 220s at 6 weeks out. I'm a band to sleeve revisions and I know I'm not getting enough Protein so I'm pretty sure that's my problem. I've started making better effort at my protein intake and started running so maybe that'll kick start my loss... I go for my next appointment next week and I'm hoping to be officially down 35 pounds (5 pounds per week)...that'll put me at 215. I guess I'll have to see! I know I need to force feed myself at least one Protein shake a day, but can't seem to at the moment since my liquid phase ended... I think you are doing great, especially at such a low start weight. Good luck with your goals! Crystal

Yep. It's completely normal. Besides the meds and no solid foods, the disrupting of the bowel area and stomach causes it too. I had the same issue...still do, just not so often, from all the protein.

I threw up daily with my band. I have only felt like I got stuck twice since I've been sleeved and it passed. I even bent over the toilet like I used to (it used to just come right on out). Not now! I do get nauseated alot though with smells and if I eat certain foods. I think my sleeve is getting used to new foods after being on liquids for 3 weeks. My blockage NEVER cleared itself with the band. I always had to bring it up.

Trust me...you are not alone! There are many of us here who feel/felt the same way! Welcome...

Congrats on your loss. I too had the band for nearly 4 years. Went from 254 to 175 (at my low) and then it failed and I ballooned back up to 250 before I had my sleeve. I'm just 5 1/2 weeks out and I'm down 26 pounds...the last 2 weeks have been SLOW...but I know it's because my calories and Protein are so low. I'm sorry to hear of your dad...stress will do crazy things to our body. I was drinking way too much and gaining like crazy in the months before my surgery... I've got that back under control now though. It's very nice to hear you are still happy with your sleeve. I hope to be as successful as you! Crystal

I seem to be stalling too...only like 5 pounds in 2 weeks. I know I'm only getting about 600-800 calories a day and that I need to add protein shakes back in...I was just so nauseated by them after the 3 weeks of liquids... Ok...going to CVS now to force myself to drink a protein shake.....

While still in the hospital I had trouble...they had to give me an enema before I could go home to make sure there was no bowel obstruction. Not Fun... but--Since I've been home I go regularly (also liquid) due to the protein shakes...yuck. I just started solids so hopefully it'll "firm up"... LOL. Surgery that messes with your stomach frequently causes diahrea for a while, just because of the upsetting of your bowels/intestines (according to my doc when I mentioned it...).

Once my band stopped working I started gaining weight...until I gained it all back. Over the course of about 18 months I gained 75 of about 80 back. Of that time I had my band in but completely unfilled for 4 months and removed for 9 months (we tried for the rest of the time to just reduce the fill but I had a dilated pouch and I decided to get it out so I never refilled). Your body gets used to minimal calories and once I could eat more than a cup of food (or at least not throw it up) I gained very rapitdly. My doc said if the band (restriction only) worked for you than the sleeve is probably a good option.

I was warned that reflux can be worse with the sleeve so I was concerned I might have issues also. My surgeon did tell me that sometimes if reflux is a problem before surgery that he prefers to do the bypass...that this can fix reflux problems. That being said, I was hopeful that my hernia was the cause of my reflux before because it was the cause pre-band. I do know that I have a tendency to reflux if I don't take my omeprazole (40 mg) daily and my chewable prevacid. If I miss one dose I feel it coming on, especially at night. Supposedly this will reduce after some time. Do you take nausea meds and reflux meds? Sometimes you have to try different ones to see what works. Re complications being more prevalent in band to sleeves...I'm not sure. I think there are probably more issues because of previous scarring/issues that the band created that may not be present in virgin sleevers...Just my opinion though.

Leaks can be more common sure to the staple line at the scar tissue area not holding well. So my doc actually sews completely over the staples to reinforce it. Strictures because of the same thing (lots of scar tissue) makes sense too. Good luck to you. Hope you are able to keep stuff down soon. I've done beyer than I expected...no problems with liquids so far. Some mushies are now making me nauseous tho...hope thats just related to sensitivity. Keep me posted!